18-125-205 Me. Code R. § 02

Current through 2024-51, December 18, 2024

Section 125-205-02 - Certification

A.Examination. To receive a Certified Maine Assessor ("CMA") designation, an individual must pass the CMA examination ("Exam"). The Exam is composed of five parts and has an eight-hour time limit. A score of 70 or higher is required on each part to pass the Exam.

1. MRS determines the time, place, and procedures for administration of the Exam. Failure to comply with these procedures, including, for example, the use of unauthorized reference materials or the exchange or communication of Exam-related information between candidates during the Exam, may result in an automatic failure of the candidate and may, at the discretion of the Director of the Property Tax Division, render the candidate ineligible to sit for future Exams.

2. MRS will report Exam results to candidates by first-class mail within 30 days of the Exam date. MRS may also email results to a candidate upon request. MRS may release information in a candidate's training and certification file only to the candidate, unless otherwise ordered by a court.

3. A candidate who fails to pass the Exam, but achieves a passing score of 70 or higher on one or more parts of the Exam, will be allowed to carry the score for those parts to subsequent attempts to pass the Exam. For the purposes of this provision, any passing score for a single part will remain in effect for a period of 18 months from the date the score was achieved. Within the 18-month time period, a candidate need only complete the Exam parts for which he or she did not achieve a passing score.

B.Education and experience. MRS awards advanced certification levels for individuals who meet certain criteria in addition to passing the Exam. These advanced certification levels require experience in the assessing field and completion of advanced assessor training. Advanced assessor training includes courses approved by MRS as advanced continuing education ("ACE") plus at least one course from the list of International Association of Assessing Officers ("IAAO") courses under the related certification level requirements in subsection C below or an MRS-approved equivalent.

C.Certification levels. MRS offers the following certification levels:

1.Certified Maine Assessor ("CMA"). The CMA is a certification awarded to an individual who successfully completes the Exam, there by demon strating that he or she possesses the basic knowledge required to perform the assessing function for a Maine municipality on a full-time basis.

2.Certified Maine Assessor, Level 2 ("CMA-2"). The CMA-2 is a certification awarded to an individual who has successfully completed the requirements for this level, there by demonstrating that he or she possesses an intermediate level of knowledge and abilities required to perform the assessing function for a Maine municipality on a full-time basis. To obtain a CMA-2 certification, an individual must complete the requirements for a CMA certification and the following requirements:

a. Perform the assessing function for compensation for one year; and

b. Complete a total of 100 hours of advanced assessor training approved by MRS. Advanced assessor training for this level must include successful completion (including any test included as part of the course) of at least one of the following courses or an MRS-approved equivalent:

i. IAAO Course 101 - Fundamentals of Real Property Appraisal;

ii. IAAO Course 102 - Income Approach to Valuation I; or

iii. IAAO Course 112 - Income Approach to Valuation II.

3.Certified Maine Assessor, Level 3 ("CMA-3"). The CMA-3 is a certification awarded to an individual who has successfully completed the requirements for this level, there by demonstrating that he or she possesses an advanced level of knowledge and abilities required to perform the assessing function for a Maine municipality on a full-time basis. To obtain a CMA-3 certification, an individual must complete the requirements for a CMA certification and the following requirements:

a. Perform the assessing function for compensation for three years; and

b. Complete a total of 200 hours of advanced assessor training approved by MRS. Advanced assessor training for this level must include the requirements for CMA-2 certification and the successful completion (including any test included as part of the course) of at least one of the following courses or an MRS-approved equivalent:

i. IAAO Course 201 - Appraisal of Land;

ii. IAAO Course 300 - Fundamentals of Mass Appraisal;

iii. IAAO Course 311 -Real Property Modeling Concepts; or

iv. IAAO Course 500 - Assessment of Personal Property.

4.Certified Maine Assessor, Level 4 ("CMA-4"). The CMA-4 is a certification awarded to an individual who has successfully completed the requirements for this level, there by demonstrating that he or she possesses an advanced level of knowledge and abilities required to perform the assessing function for a Maine municipality on a full-time basis. To obtain a CMA-4 certification, an individual must complete the requirements for a CMA certification and the following requirements:

a. Perform the assessing function for compensation for five years; and

b. Complete a total of 300 hours of advanced assessor training approved by MRS. Advanced assessor training for this level must include the requirements for CMA-3 certification plus completion (including any test included as part of the course) of at least one of the following courses or an MRS-approved equivalent:

i. IAAO Course 331 - Mass Appraisal Practices and Procedures;

ii. IAAO Course 400 - Assessment Administration;

iii. IAAO Course 402 - Property Tax Policy;

iv. IAAO Course 600 - Principles and Techniques of Cadastral Mapping; or

v. IAAO Course 601 - Cadastral Mapping - Methods & Applications.

5.Certified Assessment Technician ("CAT"). The CAT was a certification that MRS formerly awarded to an individual who successfully completed the CAT examination, there by demonstrating that he or she possesses the basic knowledge and abilities required to perform the assessing function for a Maine municipality. As of August 2017, MRS no longer awards new CAT certifications. An individual previously certified as a CAT may continue to be certified as a CAT, provided the certification renewal criteria under section .03 below are met.

18-125 C.M.R. ch. 205, § 02